41st /e Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de Montréal / of Montreal

The 41st FNC film festival returns once again with
its usual promises to satisfy all who love cinema. Over 288 films from 52
countries (many are premieres) from either emerging or established directors.
Apart from the international sections (Selection – in competition for the Louve
d’Or, Special Presentations – established filmmakers and Panorama –
explorations of new realities) we also have Focus (spotlight on Quebec and
Canadian works) and Temps-O (mysterious and fantastic films that are on the
edge). Many shorts, programmed around particular themes, spice up the festival.

The Cinémathèque Quebecois will be host to retrospectives of
10 films from Japanese studio Nikkatsu and also 23 films, photographs and
photograms of William Klein. For the children we have ‘the P’tits Loups’.
Finally, FNC Lab and FNC Pro and many other events and tributes round off the
programming.

Below find a run-down of all the films seen at this year’s
festival. As time permits a more elaborate critique (features only) will appear
under the label “Film Box-Office.” They will be identified with the FNC 2012
logo. Updates will appear on a frequent basis (hopefully once a day) so please
visit frequently.

Tragic drama powerfully exposing
the damage mass hysteria can have on the lives of the targeted victim and the community;
and how quickly the veneer of a seemingly idyllic setting – in this case a
small close-knit community – can be replaced by a frenzy of wrath, hypocrisy
and blind terror. Lucas finally seems be getting his life together again after
his recent job loss as a high-school teacher and divorce. He now works in a day-care and an attractive
co-worker becomes his girlfriend. This all comes crashing down when Klara, his
best friend’s 5-year-old daughter, accuses him of molestation.

Originally from France,
Robin now works as a pilot in Quebec. One day he receives a call that
devastates his inner being. It is painful but he can’t allow it in right now so
he takes flight to ease it.

Filmstripe, Canada 2012,
18m, John Blouin

A projection booth, a heap
of 35mm film on the floor, projectionist has to rewind and repair the film in
just 15 minutes. As he is doing so he is teaching his apprentice what to do and
sharing his memories of past mishaps. A tribute to a profession that is in the
midst of a major transformation as film is disappearing and being replaced by
digital.

Sophie lives in a
small apartment in a working-class neighbourhood with her mother. She is
preparing for a special evening – she will be playing the violin in a school
concert – a rare opportunity for her to be with ‘normal’ children.

It is the early
morning on the eve of war. A man has just left a dockside tavern. He is
carrying a bottle of whisky in his pocket. He is waiting for the train that
will take him to this war. An experimental film that is a bit difficult to
perceive what is going on.

The motto of The
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (a gay rights activist group founded in San
Francisco in the 1980s and now boasts no fewer than 400 followers worldwide) is
"to spread universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt." For 7 years,
Joe Balass took his camera to film Mish, one of its founding members.Going by his 'nom-de-guerre'Sister Missionary P. Delight, sporting a
white Santa-like beard, heart-shaped glasses and an outsized comette, it is
easy to shrug him off as just another eccentric, but this interesting and
unique film deftly shows that this is not the case.

This fascinating documentary explores the all
too common conflicts between the ‘old’ and ‘new’ schools regarding various art
forms. In this case, Argentina’s tangos are explored through musical examples from
past and present and commentaries by some of its most prominent proponents. The
filmmaker anchors her subject in historical and political contexts. By distinguishing
the real tango from that played for tourists, the film discusses the desire of
the current generation to reclaim tango as Argentina’s own and as an expression
of life.

Insane comedy about 2 brothers at opposite
ends of the social spectrum reconnecting to rebel against accepted norms. The
parents of Benoît and Jean Pierre own a chip shop in a suburban mall. Benoît is
Europe’s oldest ‘crust punk’ and has changed his name to Not (tattooed on his
forehead). Jean Pierre is a bed linen salesman who is not meeting his quota.
When Jean Pierre gets fired, Not reconnects with him in order to re-channel his
anger. Together they plan a ‘grand soir’ of revolution and resistance.

Beginning
with the simple premise of a group of children and young adults frolicking on the
banks of a river in Suriname, by using a simple cinematic device, the filmmaker
transforms human movements into a beautiful ballet that exudes pure rhythmic
motions.

5 teens (Jeannie,
Eanna, Denise, Shane and Darren) that thrive in a chaotic environment, break
into an upper-class home. From the moment of their arrival they begin to
‘redecorate’ it in their own image. Fueled by an excessive amount of drugs and
alcohol, we sense a mounting undercurrent of tension, increasing dramatically
when Jeannie reveals that this is her home and next door neighbour, Robbie,
rings the front door joining the chaos. Other secrets revealed as the night
wears on. A film that is constructed on the spur of the moment from a very
simple premise; unsettling and unnerving.

Since he was 15, Iranian
university professor Arash Saafi has lived in exile in France; returning 22
years later as a guest lecturer at Shiraz University. When his semester is
finished and he attempts to get the necessary documents to return to France,
Arash must face head-on the realities of the country that he had fled 22 years
earlier. Memories of the Iran-Iraq war of the early 80s and his father’s
profiteering schemes begin to haunt Arash. A stunningly superb and promising first
feature, the film seamlessly blends suspense and social commentary, portrays
Iran as a nation under siege.

The Ballad of
Genesis and Lady Jaye, United States / États-Unis 2010, 100m, Marie Losier

As one of the founding
members of the legendary ‘Throbbing Gristle’, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge is a
pioneer of industrial-music and a precursor to psychotropic techno with Psychic
TV. In 1993, he married Lady Jaye (1969-2007) who also was a member of Psychic
TV. In 1995, Genesis suffered severe burns and with the settlement money, both
he and Lady Jaye decide to undergo cosmetic surgery for the ‘one’ to be the
‘other’ and vice-versa – the ultimate fulfillment of what is true love – 2 who
were once individuals have become as 1. They called this ‘art project’
pandrogyny.

Part of the Carte Blanche 2012 series /
Partie de la série Carte Blanche 2012.

Inori, Japan /
Japon 2012, 72m, Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio

Kannogawa is an
isolated mountain village in Japan. Once a thriving community, all that remains
today is a small group of elderly residents. Against the picturesque
mountainous landscape, the filmmaker captures the humanity of a generation that
will soon be gone, of a village that soon become just a memory, its characters
fascinating, extraordinary and never alien.

À l'aide d'un incident dans sa vie, le
cinéaste fait la déclaration qui, afin de trouver la lumière, on doit tout
d'abord voyager à travers les ténèbres.Using an incident in
her life, the filmmaker makes the statement that in order to find the light,
one must first travel through darkness.

As
Ondas / The Waves / Les Vagues, Portugal, 21m, Miguel Fonseca:

Two souls so
completely different from each other yet united by blood.

The Chemical Brothers
are an electronic music duo composed of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. They have
been active since 1991 and there audiovisual live shows have played to packed
houses worldwide. “Don’t Think” is the first time their show has been
documented on film. Recorded at the 2011 Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, “Don’t Think” is a veritable audio-visual
joy ride from beginning till end; a sensory assault that makes one feel as
though in the crowd of over 50 thousand fans.

This social drama
realistically explores the perilous and difficult road to reintegration into
society after a long stint in an institution whether it is prison or mental
health. After being released from prison, Francine takes residence in a small
cottage near a lake. Taciturn, Francine has difficulty in relating to the people
around her and she is unable to hold down a job. She begins to hoard animals
until her home environment becomes unhygienic and her grip on reality is
threatened. Melissa Leo gives an incredible performance as Francine.

Asako’s 9-year-old daughter,
Emili, is found dead in the gymnasium of her school. She had been playing in
the school yard with her 4 friends: Sae, Maki, Akiko and Yuka, when a stranger picks
out Emili to ‘assist’ him in the gymnasium. Though the 4 friends all saw the
murderer, their memory went blank when questioned by the police. Asaki brings
them all together and demands that they find the murderer or pay a penance...15
years later, they have all grown up and all 4 have been deeply scarred by
Emili’s murder. The killer is still at large and Asako resurfaces to collect on
the penance due. Presented in a 5 chapter format – Kurosawa proceeds to explore
how each woman has dealt with the incident and how they feel that they have
paid the penance due. The fifth chapter concludes this made-for-TV psychodrama,
a powerful and ambitious reflection on guilt and remorse, in a surprisingly
Hitchcockian manner.

A riveting and
powerful drama exploring ‘l’esprit de Québec’ delving into its popular literary
and artistic themes of guilt, religion and matriarchy. When Claudine Perreault
gives birth to François out of wedlock, she is ostracized by her family, village
and the church. She unleashes her feelings of guilt and anger by being brutally
abusive to François. Thinking that God will forgive her, Claudine sends François
to a Seminary to become a priest; returns home 4 years later at 17; refuses to
go back. Claudine strikes him so violently, he becomes deaf. His mother dies,
Amina enters into his life...

On October 5th 1988, a
historical plebiscite was held in Chile to allow its citizens to determine
whether General Augusto Pinochet should continue as leader or not. The
plebiscite was launched by Pinochet himself in response to international
pressure. As a token to give a semblance of fairness, Pinochet allows the
opposition, the NO side, 15 minutes per day on National TV. They call upon the
services of René Saaverdo, an ambitious young advertising executive. This film
powerfully recounts the campaign which resulted in the NO side defeating the
YES.

This is Patrice
Leconte's (an icon of French cinema) first foray into the world of animation –
a very funny musical comedy in 3D with an aesthetic that brings to mind Tim
Burton; a truly enjoyable viewing experience despite its morbid subject. The
Tuvache family, assisted by their teenage children, own and operate the most sinister
business in town – a shop that guarantees that even if you have failed in life
you will succeed in death. Business is thriving on ‘sadness and despair’ until
the birth of Alan who due to his joyfulness is the ‘white sheep’ of the family.

5 teens violently
breakout of a remote juvenile correction centre in search of a mysterious
outlaw known as ‘The Godfather’ said to be staying in a fabled location 7 days
walk from the city somewhere in the Mendoza foothills of Argentina. The 5
believe that their salvation lies in him. As their quest becomes desperate and
they realise that they are lost, tensions begin to rise between them, each
blaming the other for their situation and in trying to go their own way, Death
begins to prey on them – one by one. The silent pace of the film is agonizingly
slow but the tension is thick.

Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP) is a genetic disorder in which the
ability to repair the damage caused by sunlight or ultraviolet light is
defective. Those afflicted with this must avoid exposure to light. Camp
Sundown, located in New York’s Catskill Mountains, was created in 1995 to give
children afflicted with XP an opportunity to enjoy life to the fullest.
Interspersed with documentary footage in an anime telling the story of how
Father Night desired to see Mother Light. Both parts of the film would have had
a greater effect if shown separately.

Part of the Carte Blanche 2012 series / Partie
de la série Carte Blanche 2012.

Hold Back / Rengaine,
France 2012, 75m, Rachid Djaïdani

Are traditional
attitudes towards inter-cultural and inter-religious marriage still valid in
modern society? This social comedy with its freewheeling cinematography and
rapid fire dialogue deals with this issue. Sabrina, an Arab Muslim, wants to
marry Dorcy, a Christian from the sub-Sahara. When her brother Slimane, the
eldest of 40, hears of this he is outraged and sets out to find Dorcy to
prevent the marriage from taking place. The hypocrisy becomes quickly apparent
as Slimane himself is in love with Nina, a Jew. A very promising first feature
from a former boxing champ and novelist.

Dancer, choreographer
and actor Diconca has custody of his 5-year-old son Léon every second weekend.
On this particular weekend he has taken his son on fishing and canoeing trip to
an isolated lake. They are accompanied by Mara, their family dog. Diconca’s
first feature is a cocktail mix of both documentary and fiction and is a
personal essay and testament to his boundless love for Léon.

Sion Sono’s latest is
a dramatic departure from his usual fare. It is an intimate portrayal of the
effect that a nuclear meltdown would have on an average family. The film was
shot in large part at the Fukushima reactor which had the meltdown due to the
earthquake and tsunami disaster that hit Japan in March of 2011. A slow-paced
and intimate film shot in clear, chilly and somber tones with atmospherically
appropriate sound effects; a moving human drama centering on 2 neighbouring
families separated by the disaster, enhanced by a strong ensemble cast.

Sincere and touching
film based upon the professional experiences of the 2 lead actors (Philipp
Hochmair and Walter Saabel), part of the current growing docu-fiction trend. ‘The
shine of day’ is an expression referring to one’s view of what ‘freedom’ is.
Philipp is a well-known theatre actor whose flourishing career and passion (his
‘shine of day’) allows him to travel throughout Europe. During a trip to
Hamburg he encounters Walter who claims to be his uncle. Walter has been
estranged from Philippe’s father and has worked as a circus artist in Italy for
over 40 years. They become friends.

An experimental drama
about a Lisbon man receives an email from a friend he has not seen in 30 years.
The email is from Candy, a transvestite who fears for her life. She gives him
specific instructions and a rendezvous point where she would explain to him
what she is afraid of and how to save her. Shot as a travelogue of the cityscape
of Macao (a former Portuguese colony, now a part of China), the narrative
spoken through a voice-over with most of the action taking place off-screen,
and the mystery unfolding as if in a film noire.

4 of the surviving members
of Monty Python (John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam) have
reunited to pay a cinematic homage to 5th member Graham Chapman
(1941-1989) in this animated 3D adaptation of his memoirs “A Liar’s
Autobiography,” first published in 1980. The film is a cocktail mixture of
highlights from Graham Chapman’s life, liberal amounts of fiction plus scenes
from the troupe’s body of work. Echoing the original spirit of Monty Python,
the film clearly shows that their brand of surreal raving wackiness has stood
the test of time.

Delightful anthology
of 3 stories centering on a French woman named Anne (gleefully and ingeniously
played by Isabelle Huppert) – 3 different characters or variations of each
other? She is visiting the sea side resort of Mohang-ni. Each story is framed
by a young film student writing the scenario for her first short film. ‘Anne’ number
1: famous French director visiting a Korean colleague and his pregnant (and
jealous) wife. ‘Anne’ number 2: cheating wife meeting her lover – a famous
Korean director. ‘Anne’ number 3: recently divorced housewife seeking solace. A
well-blended mix of French and Korean humour.

A group of 12 renowned
French actors and actresses receive a phone call announcing that celebrated
playwright, Antoine d’Anthac has died. They were to meet at one of his many
homes. When they arrive, a recording of Eurydice by a young acting troupe
appears on the screen. All 12 had appeared in the play. What follows is not
what one would expect as multiple versions of the play begin to be played out
in what seems to have been transformed into a Hall of Mirrors. A bit too repetitive and somewhat pointless.

Cinematic adaptation
of Salman Rushdie’s sweeping historical drama that recounts the independence of
India and the subsequent bloody partitions of Pakistan and Bangladesh as told
through the eyes of a boy born to poor parentage at the stroke of midnight on
August 15th 1947. At the same moment another child had been born to
a wealthy family. The nurse who had birthed them switched – ‘the rich shall be
poor and the poor shall be rich.’ Lavishly shot, captivating score and a touch
of Indian mysticism – India’s answer to ‘Gone with the Wind.’

A scorching and
uncompromising film that paints a picture that what often looks pretty when seen
from afar, is in actuality a thin shell hiding hollowness or putrid decay
within. Pawel sells scrap for a living. He decides to move his ailing mother from a
cramped family home in rural Poland to a rest home so that he can be with his
girlfriend. Soon after, he disappears; causing a rift to appear and the village
whose inhabitants had lived in a state of inactivity now gives in to restless
displaced rage and resentment. Certain scenes were hard
to contextualise.

An
extreme makeover of the urban legend of a boy who after years of isolation re-enters
the real world. Nuremberg 1928 has become the island of Sardinia – time unknown;
the boy – androgynous. He washes up on the beach and is taken in by the
sheriff. He believes the Kaspar is the Messiah and has returned to be king over
the island. This threatens the Duchess. An enjoyable, enigmatic and silly cult
film that would be best seen on the midnight circuit or a night of watching
DVDs with friends. Astounding electronic score by Vitalic.

Filmmaker
follows the day-to-day lives of three peasant children struggling to survive
their grim existence on a small farm in rural China. Yingying (10), Zhenzhen
(6) and Fenfen (4) must face their daily chores as they are often left alone or
stay with relatives because their father needs to work in the city. A valid and
important chronicle of the human condition of the most populous nation on
Earth.

The
day-to-day struggles of various individuals as they face the harsh realities of
life are examined in this human drama. A wide range of common struggles are
examined from a single mother trying to prepare her young daughter for when she
is gone; a teen contending with bullies; a young actress seeking a mentor; plus
many more. Well-cast and handled in a mature, sensitive manner, brings out the
fragile existence of life and still comes out with a message of hope.

Through
a series of visions and apparitions, and eschewing the traditional chronological
narrative, the filmmaker recounts the story of a seemingly idyllic and model family
becoming caught up in the darkness of jealousy and desire. Juan and Natalia are
affluent and live in a beautiful lush villa in Mexico. They have two very
beautiful children. A veritable paradise as shown in the opening scene of their
daughter surrounded by animals but the next scene shows a demonic creature
lurking in the dark shadows of their home. A little bit too long and hard to
follow.

Brandon,
following the footsteps of his father, takes fan celebrity obsession and voyeurism
to a whole new level in this shocking and disturbing thriller. Syd March works
for a firm that harvests viruses from ‘celebrities’; selling them by injection into
customers willing to pay the price for the ultimate communion. To further
profit, he pirates them by injecting himself; selling to the highest bidder. Injecting
himself with the virus that ‘killed’ superstar Hanna Geist, Syd facing the same
fate, rabid fans and greedy criminals, must race against time solving the
mystery of her death and save his own life.

Sean‘s psychiatrist tells
him to express his pent up anger by writing it down. Because of his Goth look,
his tormentors consider him a freak. With poetic sensibility, he writes a
revenge story naming his tormentors. A police search turn’s up his father’s loaded
guns, charge him with planning a Columbine-style mass murder; sent to a youth
correctional facility where he is also tormented. Only his father and Deanna, a
classmate believe his innocence. A very promising and powerful first feature
film about superficial judgements and the refusal of many to dig below the
surface to discover the truth.

‘(En) Catimini’ (French term reference to things done secretly or on the
sly), is the sense portrayed in this gripping drama that focuses on the
interconnecting stories of 4 young girls lost in the child welfare system and
the adults responsible for their care. Cathy, six-years old, anxious and withdrawn
arrives at the Bilodeau’s foster home. The father takes her ‘under his wing.’ Rebellious
12-year-old Kayla is sent to another home, all contact cut, after an incident
with their son. Mégane,
a very troubled teen ends up in a detention center. Manu (18) has to adjust to
the ‘real-world.’

Road-movie about two
young hitchikers, Zoé and Adrien, who accompany each other on their
cross-country trek in search of self-discovery. When they first meet, they
claim that they are not interested in each other but it soon becomes evident
that this is not the case. They alternatively ‘follow‘ each other slowly becoming more
involved in each other’s lives.The dialogue consists of seemingly empty banter
but it actually is a camouflage for deeper feelings.

This social drama reveals the stark contrast between those that have and
those that don’t and the inevitable cruelty and alienation that results. Simon
(12-years-old) lives with his unemployed ‘sister’ Louise. To provide their
basic needs he treks up to the nearby ski resort, stealing equipment and gear
and reselling them to whomever he can. Desperate for love, he often resorts to
lies. As his ‘family’s situation’ worsens he takes greater risks and as such,
his thievery and deception are exposed along with his lonely, empty and
distraught existence.

Dead Man’s
Burden, United States / États-Unis 2011, 93m, Jared Moshe1870, civil war wounds have
not yet healed. Martha`s father Joe has just recently been buried alongside her
two older brothers killed during the war. She, along with husband Heck, claim
that he fell off his horse. They want to sell their homestead in New Mexico but
before finalising the deal with the bank, Wade, her elder brother shows up,
bearing a letter written by his father who had claimed that Wade had died in
the war, and if Wade returned, threatened to kill him. Wade believes that his
father was murdered. Tensions rise and past secrets are revealed.

A deeply touching
human drama about the stresses involved in caring for a loved one. Maria, a
middle-aged single mother of three, a low income wage earner, also cares for
her father who has Alzheimer. Becoming more stressed and burdened with his ever-increasing
needs and those of her 3 children, tries to have him put in a nursing home
(after her sister refuses to take him in). They tell her that he most likely doesn`t
qualify. In a desperate moment of panic, she abandons him and tells her
children that he is in the nursing home. Feeling guilty she...

An emotionally
disturbing and sexually explicit look into the issues of intimacy between
youths, their search for who they are, their feelings of alienation, lacking
social anchors and how they deal with and perceive the harsh realities of life.
The main protagonist is Jasna, who despite the worsening health of her father
and pleadings of her mother (she always excuses herself by saying she needs to
study) prefers to party with friends and explore intimacies with her boyfriend.
Exemplifies young Serbian cinema as being subversive and willing to push the boundaries
way past the limits.

Denise is trapped in the twilight zone of major
life-changing events: recently retired from her position as executive financial
director from the company formerly run by her ex-husband, Michel. Michel resides
in a high-end
neighbourhood while she returns to where they had grown up, where disputes were
resolved with fists. She has to deal with her contemptuous son, Alex (now CEO),
the avoidance by her former colleagues and her ex’s refusal to take her
seriously. She befriends her neighbour Paul who spends his days drinking beer
and playing poker. She is seduced into his world. Entertaining but forgettable.

Set in Montreal circa 3000 C.E. this
science fiction film centers on 4 major characters. Jacob is a 75-year-old
renowned musician who plays on designed instruments inspired by women’s bodies.
He believes that music can slow down time. These instruments are designed by
Arthur, ambiguous and manipulative. His father Eugene makes them. Eugene is immortal,
his head is a hologram and he is a scientific genius. Avril, a photographer,
beautiful, mysterious, bright, impetuous and nostalgic enters into their lives.
A futuristic tale of mad love and the secrets of the universe – addressing perceptions
of reality and the passage of time.

Alphée is a normal 5-year-girl – she loves to laugh, run and
play like any other child her age. But unlike the others she has Smith-Limli-Opitz
Syndrome – a very rare congenital disorder that affects neuromuscular development.
Her parents – the filmmaker and his wife Laure Waridel decide to take her to a
remote village in the mountain setting of Switzerland. Deeply personal story
about the need to never give up, that all is possible.

A Lake / Un Lac, France 2008, 90m, Philippe GrandrieuxA film that explores the link between human
relationships and nature. Alexis who lives in a cabin near a secluded lake,
suffers frequent seizures. To survive he does excursions into the woods nearby.
His relationships with his parents and his siblings is dysfunctional especially
with his sister, Hege, he is dangerously close. The affected use of close-ups and
sombre lighting obscured the narrative despite the beautiful Lapland locations.
As for its symbolic content, I didn't find any.

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Note / Nota:

July 10, 2016:The beginning of a new and exciting chapter! Nancy Snipper's (a.k.a S.N.) first posting on her own blog: http://sntravelandartswithoutborders.blogspot.ca/********************************************************

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